USAR: Langley Speedway news 2009-05-20

HAMPTON VIRGINIA 250 - USARacing Pro Cup Series at Langley Speedway - Hampton, VA

HAMPTON, Va. (May 20) - Over $70,000 in posted awards, including an $8,000 winner's purse, will be up for grabs this Saturday, May 23, when Langley Speedway welcomes the USARacing Pro Cup Series for the Hampton Virginia 250 presented by the Hampton Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Gates open at 11 a.m., coinciding with the start of Pro Cup practice rounds. Pro Cup practice wraps up at 1 p.m. The Crossroads Fuel Service Late Model Stock Cars and Old Point National Bank Grand Stocks will take to the track from 2-3:15. Grand Stock qualifying gets under way at 3:45, followed by Pro Cup and Late Model time trials at 4.

A 40-lap Grand Stock feature goes green right after time trials - approximately 5 p.m. Pro Cup drivers hold their traditional autograph session at 5:45, while pre-race ceremonies and driver introductions are slated for 6:30.

The Hampton Virginia 250 for the USARacing Pro Cuppers is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start and a 100-lap Late Model feature rounds out the full day of action.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children, 6-12. "Little Race Fans" (under 6) are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Military personnel in uniform are also admitted free of charge. Military (active or retired, with ID) and senior citizen (60+, with ID) tickets are $13.

Advance tickets for Saturday's program are available at the track office, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., through this Friday.

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The Speedway will hold its regular, weekly "test and tune" session on Thursday, May 21. Gates open at 5 p.m. and practice begins at 6. Pit admission is $10. There is no charge to watch from the grandstands.

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The kickoff of Langley's '09 "Wacky Wednesdays" campaign has been pushed back to next Wednesday, May 27, as early-arriving Pro Cup teams have booked private practice time for this afternoon and evening.

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As of Tuesday afternoon, 20 Pro Cup teams had filed entries for this Saturday's Hampton Virginia 250, according to the series Web site - <www.usarprocup.com>.

The entry list includes:

* Eight drivers who have accounted for 82 career Pro Cup wins, topped by Bobby Gill's series-best 46 victories. Gill also holds series records for most top-five and top-10 finishes, races led and laps led.

* Three former series champions - Gill (1999, 2000, 2001, 2007), Clay Rogers (2004, 2006) and Jeff Agnew (1998).

* Four series Rookies of the Year, including the last three - Agnew (1998), Derek Kale (2006), Brandon Ward (2007) and Drew Herring (2008).

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Herring scored his first Pro Cup win in the series' last stop, at South Georgia Motorsports Park, and brings a 15-point lead in the standings into Saturday's race at Langley. Ward, Kale, Caleb Holman and Billy Bigley Jr. round out the top five after the season's first two events.

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At 19, Lucas Ransone will be the junior member of Saturday's Hampton Virginia 250 lineup, while 62-year-old Larry Barrett will be the elder statesman of the group. Also, driver Tom Hessert will celebrate his 20th birthday on Friday.

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Saturday's race will mark the Pro Cup Series' first appearance at Langley since 1998. That race was won by current NASCAR Nationwide Series stalwart Scott Wimmer, who beat longtime Late Model ace Johnny Rumley to the checkers. Agnew claimed the pole, at 86.972 mph, and led 95 laps before retiring to a 27th-place finish. The event was slowed by 15 caution flags for 88 laps and six drivers swapped the lead seven times.

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C.E. Falk holds a four-point lead over Danny Edwards Jr., heading into Saturday night's 100-lap Late Model tilt - 196-192. The two drivers have split wins in the season's first four races. Woody Howard (the 2005 Pro Cup Rookie of the Year, by the way) is third in the standings, 30 down to Falk. Mark Wertz and Greg Edwards rank fourth and fifth, respectively.

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Jammie Goode leads the current Grand Stock points rundown, 98-96, over Ricky Derrick, who set a new qualifying record (79.331 mph) before winning the division's last race on May 9.

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Fifty-lappers for the B&C Seafood Modifieds and Atlantic Power Sweeping Super Streets top the bill as NASCAR action continues at Langley Speedway on Saturday, May 30, with Hampton Roads Toyota Dealers Night.

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A longtime member of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, Langley Speedway is a .395-mile, slightly-banked oval. The track is located at 11 Dale Lemonds Dr., off North Armistead Ave., in Hampton, Va.

To learn more about Langley Speedway, fans may call the Speedway office at (757) 865-RACE or consult the track's Web site - www.langley-speedway.com.

-credit: ls